Sohoton Cove National Park Tour: Caves, Lagoons, Snorkeling

One of my favorite days while staying on Siargao was our overnight trip to Sohoton Cove National Park in Bucas Grande Island. It is the El Nido of the south!

What to pack for the Philippines?: After four trips to the Philippines, there are some items you NEED to pack. You can Click Here to view my recommended Philippines Packing List.

How to go to Sohoton Cove National Park in Bucas Grande Island

We stayed in General Luna in Siargao and were renting motorbikes. To get to Sohoton Bay Resort we had to use a few different types of transport. This is how we made the journey

• Motorbike from General Luna to Dapa (Can get a taxi or tuk-tuk
• Ferry from Dapa to Socorro ($3), which takes about an hour
• Private van to the wharf
• Small longtail boat to Sohoton Bay Resort

*HOWEVER, this was all back in 2017. Fast-forward to 2019 and now there is an affordable tour that includes Sohoton Cove, Naked Island, and Daku Island. It’s more expensive than the regular Siargao island hopping tour but Sohoton is much farther away so it is justified. It won’t be quite as in-depth as the tour I did obviously, because I stayed overnight and did the full Sohoton Cove tour but it will still get you out there for a great look at the region.

The day-tour I’m talking about is offered on Klook for about $50 including lunch was is pretty reasonable considering it is about a 1.5-hour journey out there! The link to the activity booking page is here: Sohoton Cove Island Hopping Tour

Sohoton Cove Location on Bucas Grande Island

Sohoton Cove is in Bucas Grande Island and only a one-hour hour boat trip from the popular tourist island of Siargao. Here is a map so you can find out where it is in relation to your current destination:

 

Sohoton Cove National Park Itinerary

You can do an overnight trip similar to us or you can do just day trip. Either way, your full-day itinerary will be the same you might just miss the sunset or get home very late. Whereas, for us, we got to relax during the sunset have some drinks at Sohoton Bay Resort and head back to Siargao in the morning. Once we were in the Sohoton National Park area this was Sohoton Cove Itinerary:

Blue Lagoon (Titikan Lagoon)

Water so blue it reminded me of Kawasan Falls. I don’t understand how something can be so milky blue right next to crystal clear water around the corner. This is really the gem of the tour of Bucas Grande Island and it was the most relaxing part of the Sohoton Cove National Park tour and equivalent to Kayangan Lake in Coron.

We arrived at the Blue Lagoon and took a short tour in a private boat up and down the lagoon. It’s similar to the lagoons in El Nido.

Tip: this is the most epic place to drone from. You won’t see it until you are in the air!

Crystal Cave in Bucas Grande Island 

Venture deep into this epic cave system. I mean really deep. We walked several hundred meters into the cave with our guide. Watch out for stalagmites and bats.

You can also squeeze down a small tube for several hundred meters. It’s so tight that we all came out covered in mud! This is not one for claustrophobes!

Hagukan Cave on Bucas Grande Island

 This was the craziest damn cave ever! To start with you swim in an entire way to the back, which extends over 30m. Once inside Hagukan Cave, if you splash the water you will soon discover why this is labeled as the luminescent cave.

Sohoton Cove National Park is full of lots of surprises but this was something that stood and an experience I will never forget. The water will glow electric blue as you splash. We were like a big bunch of kids splashing about, fascinated by the glow!

Magkuku-ob Cave on Bucas Grande Island

We thought the Hagukan Cave would be by far the best cave and the highlight of the day but shortly after we visited Magkuku-ob Cave.

You swim into the cave then climb up into the cave before emerging at a 5-meter cliff jump back into the lagoon where you began! It’s a good height for everyone and a great group activity. What an adventure spot this is. I wrote another blog post  you might like if you are into adventure: ” 6 Awesome Cliff Jumping Spots in Siargao“.

Sohoton Gamay Resort Diving Board

Our tour guide parked the bought at a pier to a bit of a random looking resort. However, it had a 5-meter diving board. They knew us too well. 30 flips and crash-landings later my head was full of water and we had the best time! Definitely, try and stop here if your guide is up for it.

Behind the resort is a huge lake, called Lake Titikan also known as Titikan Lagoon. Definitely, make the five-minute walk over the hill to check out how peaceful it is.

Sunset in Sohoton Cove National Park

Finally, you should end your day on a beach or in your boat like us, enjoying this epic region as the sky lights up. We were blessed with an absolute belter of a sunset. Fiery red marked the end of the best day ever!

Where to stay in Sohoton National Park

We stayed at Sohoton Bay Resort. It was actually pretty cheap considering how isolated it was. It had its own private ba and was a really peaceful spot. At night they gave us some bottles of rum and we sang with their karaoke machine. It was a really good family atmosphere and they organized the day tour for us and gave us lunch and dinner!

Click here to check for prices and availability at Sohoton Bay Resort

MORE SIARGAO TRAVEL GUIDES

I spent 40 days living on Siargao and adventured to all of the well-known spots but also ventured a little further off the beaten path and explored some truly mind-blowing parts of Siargao and Sohoton! I’ve written a huge travel guide for Siargao but also several other helpful guides about the best sunsets, cliff jump spots. You can click on any of the guides below to head straight there. Enjoy Siargao!

30 Things to do on Siargao: The Bucket List

8 Awesome Sunset Spots on Siargao

6 Cliff Jumping Spots on Siargao

Where To Stay On Siargao